ACC'S PURPOSE
Why We Exist
Practicing the way of Jesus together for the renewal of the world.
Everyone is on a spiritual journey – whether you are new to the way of Jesus, just beginning to explore spirituality, or have been following Jesus for as long as you can remember. No matter where you are starting from, Jesus is inviting each of us to a better way, that if done collectively, will have the greatest potential to change the world.
John 14:6, Hebrews 10:23-25
ACC PRACTICES
How We Do It
We believe that having a deep relationship with Jesus is the best possible way to live. The more we are with Him, the more we will reflect him. The Bible (God’s Word), which is at the center of everything we believe and teach, is the primary way to understand Jesus. Spiritual disciplines, prayer, collective worship and personal transformation are ways we point toward wholeness with Jesus.
Psalm 95:6, Isaiah 55:6, James 4:8
We are called to journey together as one body. We value the image of God in all people, everywhere. We believe that we were created to live deeply with one another, carrying each other’s burdens, sharing our possessions, to pray for and confess our sins to each other, to suffer and celebrate together. It’s in these honest, loving relationships that God transforms us and truth becomes a reality. The way of Jesus cannot be lived alone.
1 Thessalonians 2:8, Ephesians 4:25, Ecclesiastes 4:12
The Holy Spirit, not us, leads our movement to choose obedience over personal preference. This third person of the Trinity, produces the transformative change God has planned for us and we desire. It is our conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit that shapes us and guides us.
John 15:5, Galatians 5:25, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
God’s way of reaching the world has always been through blessing as we partner with God’s Spirit to bless others. We value intentional, authentic relationships with those who do not know Jesus and caring for them unconditionally. The process of BLESS is to Begin with Prayer, Listen, Eat, Serve and Share what you know of Christ that is relevant to another.
Genesis 12:2, Matthew 22:37-39
Led by the Spirit of God, we are called to be a compelling force that brings God’s mercy and justice into the world. Our community will operate with the expectation that everyone will regularly use what God has given them to serve others and accomplish what God has planned for our church, our community and the world.
Acts 1:8, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 12:4-8
THE EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH
We are part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a rapidly growing multiethnic denomination in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents of the world. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants, the ECC values the Bible as the word of God, the gift of God’s grace and ever-deepening spiritual life that comes through a faith with Jesus Christ, the importance of extending God’s love and compassion to a hurting world, and the strength that comes from unity within diversity.
For additional information about our core beliefs and other relevant cultural issues, review the Covenant Affirmations and the list of established Resolutions found on our denomination website.